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Articles

These articles challenge the religious status quo. Provocative, disruptive, and honest reflections that question inherited beliefs and explore the possibility that the life of God is far bigger than the structures that claim to contain it.

By Martijn van Tilborgh

Good Cop, Bad Cop, No Cop Trinity

Could it be that we, the church, have gotten this wrong? Is it possible that some of the things we have always believed and preached are actually preventing us from seeing the truth that has been in front of us all along? Should we at least consider that we may have misrepresented God so badly that it makes complete sense why so many people want nothing to do with "that god"?

By Brian Zahnd

Beauty That Saves

A thousand years ago, Prince Vladimir of Kiev sent delegations throughout the world in search of a new religion. When his envoys returned from Constantinople, they reported: ‘We no longer knew if we were on earth or in heaven — there was so much beauty.’ In our present moment, beauty may be the best way forward in our witness to the world.

By Jason Twombly

The Heartsmith's Map

The four elements of emotional leadership.

By Martijn van Tilborgh

The Variable of Time

We live in a world that is obsessed with time. We measure it, manage it, and mourn it. We never seem to have enough of it. But what if our understanding of time is fundamentally flawed — and what if that misunderstanding is shaping how we see God?

By Martijn van Tilborgh

You Can't Scare Me to Heaven

Fear has been the church's go-to motivator for centuries. From fire-and-brimstone sermons to altar calls driven by dread, we've built entire theological systems on the assumption that people need to be scared into salvation. But what if fear was never meant to be the doorway to God?

By Martijn van Tilborgh

Turn Off the Dark

Darkness is not a thing. It has no substance, no weight, no molecular structure. You cannot bottle it, measure it, or send it through a prism. Darkness is simply the absence of light — and that distinction changes everything about how we understand evil, sin, and the nature of God.

By Martijn van Tilborgh

See Something, Say Nothing

We've all heard the phrase: "If you see something, say something." It's a call to vigilance, to awareness, to action. But in many church environments, the unspoken rule is exactly the opposite. If you see something that doesn't add up — say nothing. Keep your doubts to yourself.

By Dr. Matthew Hester

What About the Violent God?

When it comes to prophetic symbolism representing Jesus, two images stand far above the rest: the lion and the lamb. Which image do you most identify with? Which image most excites you? For me, it was easy — I loved the Lion of the tribe of Judah all the way. But how do we identify with both of these images and the tension they represent?

By Martijn van Tilborgh

No Strings Attached Gospel

What if the gospel really has no strings attached? What if the good news is actually that good — no fine print, no hidden clauses, no performance requirements? For many of us raised in the church, that idea feels dangerous, even heretical. But what if it's the most biblical thing we could believe?

By Martijn van Tilborgh

Jesus Wasn't a Muslim

The title might seem obvious, but the point runs deeper than you think. Jesus wasn't a Muslim, but He also wasn't a Christian — at least not in the way we use that word today. He didn't attend church on Sundays, didn't carry a leather-bound Bible, and never once asked anyone to repeat a sinner's prayer.

By Martijn van Tilborgh

The Cure for a Problem That Doesn't Exist

A few days ago, someone with a negative attitude left a comment on one of my social media posts. He said something along the lines of: "You can't just ignore sin and pretend everything is fine." It got me thinking — what if the "problem" we've been trying to cure was never the real problem in the first place?

By Jason Clark

Leaving (and Finding) Jesus

"I am leaving Jesus," she said threateningly—as if she were contemplating self-harm. I was talking on the phone to a brilliant, highly driven and accomplished friend. These were nearly the first words she spoke at the beginning of a two-hour conversation in which she railed at God for her traumatic circumstances, deep sorrows, devastating experiences and vast disappointments. She was in incredible emotional pain—a drowning, terrified woman thrashing about for something solid to grab hold of.

By Martijn van Tilborgh

Perpetual Revolution

Take a look around. The world is changing — and it's changing fast. Old systems are crumbling, institutions are being questioned, and the things we once took for granted are being reimagined. This isn't chaos. This is revolution — and it's been happening since the beginning.

By Revd Steve Chalke, MBE

The Ones We've Pushed Out

We don't often think of theology as dangerous. It can feel like the domain of scholars and seminarians — abstract, intellectual, removed from the pressing realities of injustice, identity, and pain. But this is a dangerous illusion. Theology is not just about what we think of God; it determines how we live with one another.

By Martijn van Tilborgh

The Great Attention Shift

What you focus on grows. It's one of the most basic principles of human experience, and yet we consistently ignore it — especially when it comes to faith. For centuries, the church has fixated on sin, judgment, and human depravity. But what if the great invitation of the gospel is actually an attention shift?

By Martijn van Tilborgh

Are You Reading Your "First Bible"?

Most of us are familiar with the opening lines of the Bible. In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth. But have you ever considered that creation itself was the first Bible — the original revelation of who God is? Before there was a written word, the heavens were already declaring His glory.

By David de Vos

Honest to God

History is filled with stories of men and women used by God — heroes who seem almost inhuman, as if they’ve reached superhero status. Until another one falls. Every leader who falls is a mirror. Am I next? Deep down, I know I am no better. Deeply insecure, with a big ego and a drive that I must admit is sometimes more about seeking recognition than being led by God’s Spirit.

By Allison van Tilborgh-Martinous

The Manger Is the Model

More than one pastor I’ve worked with has jokingly referred to Christmas as ‘the second Super Bowl.’ It’s a giving moment, a growth moment, a guest moment. But when was the last time you actually sat with the story—not as a sermon to preach or a script to stage, but as a real, raw, deeply human moment in history?

By Tullian Tchividjian

Wrecked & Redeemed

I used to be an influential Christian leader. I used to lead a large, famous church. I used to write bestsellers. Then things changed. ‘Used to be’ imploded. And in the wreckage, I found freedom.